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Monday, July 11, 2011

Are you making these mistakes when you workout??

5 Gym Mistakes Everybody Makes (And How to Fix Them!)

If you can effortlessly stay in a plank position for four minutes, chances are you probably aren't doing it correctly (and aren't reaping the move's major core sculpting benefits).
Since you're already putting in the time and are working out, you might as well make sure you maximize your efforts! Shaina Manning, Equinox Group Fitness Instructor and NASM certified personal trainer shares the top mistakes she spots at the gym... and how to fix them!

Mistake: Your hips sag during a plank

A plank (either on the elbows or hands), must always looks like a plank, not a hammock! Be careful not to drop your hips, because if the hips sag, the lower back starts to take over causing stress in the area Manning says.Fix It: Effectiveness can only be maintained if the hips are in neutral, demonstrating that the deep abdominal muscles are doing the proper work. If you cannot maintain a straight line from shoulders to hips through the heels, drop to your knees. Work on holding 15-30 seconds and build up to one minute.

Mistake: You grip the handlebars on the elliptical

Don't rely on the support of the handles to brace your body weight. It makes it less effective because it reduces the work required of your legs, by decreasing the amount of weight you have to physically hold. Be careful not to shrug the shoulders up to the ears as it could irritate or strain the back, neck and shoulders.Fix it: The handles (if stationary) should be held lightly, with palms facing down. You should be able to wiggle your fingers if you are holding on, and only relying on the support of the bars for balance. The handles, (if moving) are held with palms facing each other; create a pulling action with the arms. Using a lighter grip on the handle bars will force the abdominal to engage more in order to stabilize--whenever the body has to balance, core muscles are recruited! Mistake: You stretch before a workout

Save the stretching for when your body is nice and warm. Your muscles are like salt water taffy--if they are cold and you go to stretch them, they might (figuratively) snap! But if they are warm, they will stretch smoothly.Fix It: Prepare the body for exercise by going through a slower warm up of walking or jogging slowly. End with static stretching, like you might do on a stretch mat or even with the assistance of stretch straps and foam rollers.

Mistake: You collapse to the floor when doing push-ups

When lowering to to floor, your body should resemble a stiff board, not a slithering snake. Women tend to make the same mistake in push-ups as they do in planks Manning says.Fix it: Knees should be on the mat, creating a straight line from knees to shoulders (like a plank). Keeping abdominals engaged, lower the chest between the hands and push straight back up. Keep the head in line with the spine (look straight, not down), and the back of the neck long. Lower the body as one straight unit--don't let the hips collapse to the floor before the chest. Ready to up the intensity and sculpt a lean upper body?

Mistake: You watch TV while on the treadmill

When you're focusing on the TV, which is usually hung above your head at most gyms, your body's alignment is completely thrown off, Equinox trainer Matthew P. Pasqua, MA, CSCS says. (He also teaches a treadmill race training group fitness class.) Looking up can increase the pressure on the neck and upper back. It will lead to an unnatural tightness, and it can throw you off balance.Fix It: Keep your focus on what's happening at the machine. Pick a treadmill that's in front of a mirror and concentrate on keeping your shoulders and hips squared, your face, shoulders and hands relaxed. To avoid bouncing like a gazelle, focus on shortening your stride and running at quicker cadences by have your foot strike under your center of gravity and by bending more at the knee by bringing your heel higher up at end of your stroke, Pasqua says. It is advised to run at 1% incline at all times to mimic flat outdoor running.